Logitech G305 review: Still the budget king

In a market obsessed with making peripherals look like they were stolen from a spaceship, the Logitech G305 stands there, looking like a plain piece of office tech. It does not have a million glowing zones, it does not have a proprietary magnetic charging dock, and it certainly does not require you to take out a small loan. It is the kind of gear that reminds you that manufacturers spend way too much on marketing fluff while you just want to hit your skill shots in a game.

The spec sheet says one thing, reality says another. In this case, the reality is that the G305 performs just as well as mice costing three times as much. I have seen enough "pro-grade" gear fail at the first sign of interference, yet this little plastic egg just keeps on tracking without breaking a sweat. It uses the HERO 12K sensor, which is accurate enough that if you miss a shot, you definitely cannot blame the hardware anymore.

The ergonomics follow the classic G-series shape. It is small, safe, and works for almost any grip style. Sure, it feels like it is made of the same plastic as a soda bottle, but that keeps the weight down to 99 grams. When you are flicking your wrist across a mousepad for six hours, you will appreciate the weight savings more than a flashy metallic chassis that only serves to strain your forearm.

Buyers consistently mention that the plug-and-play simplicity is a breath of fresh air. No massive software bloatware to navigate, no firmware updates that take an hour to install. You plug in the dongle, flip the switch, and you are gaming. It is a refreshing departure from the modern trend of smart devices that are anything but smart.

Is it perfect? Hardly. It is a bit basic. If your idea of quality is defined by premium materials like aluminum or rubberized grips, you will find this mouse lacking. But if your idea of quality is defined by whether or not your input registers at the exact millisecond you press the button, then the G305 is arguably the best value in the Logitech ecosystem.

Let us talk about the Lightspeed tech, which is basically Logitech’s way of saying they figured out how to make radio waves behave themselves. While other companies struggled with connectivity issues that made their wireless mice jump around your screen, Logitech made this thing bulletproof. It operates on a 1kHz polling rate, which means it is talking to your computer every millisecond. For most of us, that is faster than our own reflexes.

Then there is the power situation. Yes, it uses a single AA battery. In 2024, that sounds like a joke, right? But the joke is actually on the people who have to remember to plug their $150 mice into a cable every night like it is a smartphone. The G305 sips power so efficiently that you can go months on a single battery. There is a little light that tells you when you are at 15 percent, giving you plenty of time to find a replacement.

The six programmable buttons are a nice touch, too. They are not overloaded, they are not positioned in places you will accidentally hit, and they feel tactile enough to provide decent feedback. The mechanical tensioning system on the primary clicks means you get a crisp, consistent feel every single time. It is straightforward engineering that refuses to get in its own way, which is exactly what you want when the pressure is on and your rank is at stake.

If you are a competitive gamer who wants zero input lag without the luxury price tag, buy this mouse. It is the best performance-per-euro ratio you will find on Amazon. Skip it only if you have massive hands that require a bulky ergonomic grip, or if you are the type of person who needs your desk to look like a neon-lit cyberpunk fever dream.